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Jon Fleischman

Club For Growth Mailing – Dana Reed’s Wisdom

CLUB FOR GROWTH SLATE
The California Club for Growth is a non-partisan organization that is focused on educating the public about the importance of a limited role for government, and letting voters know which candidates will promote a liberty-based agenda in office, with a particular emphasis on free-market-oriented economic principles.

For the first time, the California Club for Growth has produced a statewide mailing to voters in advance of an election.  There is a page of it that advocates for various positions on the election (these various measures undoubtedly financed the mail).  But I am pleased that the vast majority of the piece is educational, talking about the very principles that the group espouses. 

I was extremely pleased when I was approached by representatives of CCfG to ask if I would author an article in the piece talking about the need to streamline California government and ‘blow up the boxes’ (as Governor Schwarzenegger put it).  They also let me put in some verbiage about the FlashReport.  Check out the piece, attached below!  Thanks to Tony Strickland and the whole CfG Team (with a special FR nod to Brian Park and Darin Henry).

P.S.  I should definately add a disclaimer for my fellow Orange Countians.  Apparently the Club for Growth folks decided to take a YES on Measure D position, which is totally lame a stupid.  For the vast majority of you, Measure D is a local measure that locks in a shift of sales tax revenue from law enforcement to fire protection.  It is too long to go into here, suffice it to say that I have voted NO on D and encourage all to do the same.  That said, I wasn’t going to pass up a great opportunity to share a great message to lots of voters about streamlining government!

DON’T MISS STEVE’S PROFILE
My good friend Steve Frank was profiled today in the Capitol Weekly.  I encourage you to read it.  He and I both publish political information on the world wide web — we also both got our starts as conservative youth activists, and both served terms as State President of the CRA. 

Steve has been been a hard-working grassroots activist for many, many years, and it is great to see him getting some recognition for all of his years of hard work.

Because I am encouraging readers to explore the site, you can find this story on steve in RED on the main page!  Find out whether a man in his 50’s really wore a chicken suit…

THE WISDOM OF DANA REED

In closing, here is something sent to me (a few days ago) by accomplished political election attorney Dana Reed, worth a read:

Breathe Deeply, Take Two Aspirin and Call Me in the Morning

by:  Dana W. Reed

With polls showing two of Governor Schwarzenegger’s initiatives in a statistical dead heat and with hundreds and hundreds of candidates running for City Councils, School Boards, Community College Districts and other elective offices throughout the state, next week’s election is sure to produce a long Tuesday night for many political aficionados.

You know the drill.  It’s 2:45 Wednesday morning and the 58 County Registrars have gone home.  The early absentees and all the precinct votes have been tabulated.  But there are still tens of thousands of late absentee votes to process as well as all the provisional ballots issued the day before.

Your candidate or measure is ahead (or behind) by a handful of votes, but with all the ballots still to be counted the outcome is truly in doubt.
What should you do?

The truth is there’s not much you can do at this point and there is no reason to call your lawyer.

I know that we attorneys have trained our clients to call us at the drop of a hat, but this is one time when it’s best to keep your chapeau firmly affixed to your forehead.  Especially since some attorneys’ hourly rates double after midnight.

Our experience is that Registrars seldom begin reviewing the late ballots the next day.  Like everyone else involved in the election process, they are exhausted and they need a little time to recover.  Thursday or Friday is a possibility, but the following week is probably the best guess.  The best thing to do is ask.  The Registrar will tell you when he or she will be back at work.

However, even when the process begins anew, the duties are the same.  Check to see if the ballot has been submitted by a validly registered voter who has not already voted.  If yes, then the ballot goes into the pile to be counted.  If no, then it is put aside and not counted.

It’s that simple.

Remember, the Registrar has been processing ballots like this for the past
28 days so unless you suspect fraud (which is preposterous, but if true, you are getting involved four weeks too late anyway), there is nothing to do but watch them work.  And, as much as we love our Registrars, watching them work is like watching paint dry.

Now it’s always possible that your opposition might panic and retain the latest incarnation of Johnnie Cochran to try to intimidate you and the Registrar.  If so, just laugh knowing that they are wasting their money.

Instead of hiring your own lawyer, send an intern to take copious notes and call you each hour on the hour.  Or drop by yourself and watch the action in person.  It will make for great theater.

But in the end, the Registrar will do the job of counting the ballots to the best of his or her abilities and the results will be announced.  Then the fun begins with the recount process (remember Florida)?

Do Registrars make mistakes?  The answer, of course is yes.  But since the ballots are secret, it is next to impossible to ascertain whether the mistake helps or hurts.  You can always try to play the percentages, but you never know for sure.

And, if you are so concerned about the Registrars messing with your election results, you need to be at their offices for the entire 28 day absent voter period, not just the few hours it takes to process the stragglers after the election.

Have a great day, and keep those tips and insights coming.  Write to me (anonymously if you wish) here.

Jon